


Awakening

by Toshi_Nama



Category: Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Gen, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-04-15 03:42:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14151186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toshi_Nama/pseuds/Toshi_Nama





	1. Chapter 1

Alissa had cleared out the Drydens for the night.  No one should see what she had, what she was about to attempt.  No one, that is, except those necessary.

She ran through the empty halls of the abandoned fortress, across the bridge.  Three, nearly four years since she had first come here, and still almost abandoned despite the small but flourishing village outside the walls.  And the reason why was…  “Avernus!”  Her voice echoed against the uncaring stones, was drunk by the shadows high against the walls.

A long moment.  “Is it time?  Excellent.  Where?”

“Below.  You’ve read the notes?”  Her voice was even sharper than usual, full of worry.  She’d transcribed them, so he didn’t see even the Architect’s handwriting.  He hadn’t wanted to give them, but exchanged in return for Warden blood for his own rituals.  Morrigan’s advice had been invaluable, and had worked.  It still took months.  She was able to have the Awakened convince him that she needed to know, to see if there was anything useful for the Wardens.  Another secret, but there were many she kept from the Architect.  An ally, but not a trusted one.   Much like Avernus.  “There are dungeons below.  There.”  In the darkness - what better place for something like this?  “Whose blood should we use?”

He walked with her, slowly but steadily.  He hadn’t aged in the past years - she shouldn’t be surprised.  Not with what he’d been studying for so long.  He stared off.  “You said random Wardens had been used, but one who should have been long past her Calling?”

Alissa nodded.  That had been the only way to describe Utha, especially once Alistair had dug into his memories, and Vael into the few Warden records they had, and found out how long ago she had Joined.  “I don’t want to use yours if we can avoid it.  That leaves me, and Nathaniel.”  There were only four who knew about Avernus, and only Nathaniel  knew what she was going to attempt.  Of the Wardens, at least.  Morrigan had helped her decipher the ritual, using what she’d learned to put together the Dark Ritual that had saved them all during the Blight.  A year, passing notes back and forth, long delays as they reached her wherever she had hidden herself...and her son.  Doing the same with Avernus, never letting him know where ‘her’ theories came from.  Alistair was off to the Marches, and she thought the Mad Queen didn’t catch her sneaking out of the Vigil, since she used the Awakened’s paths.  Some of  _ her _ Awakened, from the Mother’s lair, were also here, those with Warden names.  Slash for what had happened to his eye.  Nathaniel had discovered that the Genlock was fascinated by birds, and between that and his hair...Nest he became.  She shook her head.   _ Focus.  This is dangerous enough as is. _

They made their way downstairs.  She spoke again, returned to business, and what they were about to attempt.  “I have the lyrium, and a chalice.”  She found a new one, wasn’t willing to use the Joining chalice.  She had only the faintest idea what should happen, and didn’t want to risk their relic.

Nathaniel met them at the dungeon entrance, and was greeted by Avernus.  “Howe!  I recognize you.  Good man, someone we could always count on.  Wait, I thought you failed your Joining?  But I recognize the face, the bow.”  The ancient mage twitched.  “Howe, yes?  How are you here, and a Warden?  I can feel the Taint, but I watched you die.”

Nathaniel turned away, stroked the curves of the bow over his shoulder.  Alissa watched, and he finally answered.  “My grandfather.”  His voice was more gravelly than usual.  “I have been told I have the look of him.”

Avernus shook his head.  “Too old.  Too many years, too many Joinings.  But a Howe can be trusted, always to be true to themselves.  Howes are who they are, always.  Not surprised you followed his path.  Both of you, cut your hands.  You Joined after the Blight, and she during?”

He tensed, and gave her another questioning look.  Was she sure about this?  A moment, and she nodded.  They pulled daggers, and made thin cuts, enough for the blood to well up.  Hers was thick and dark, but still looked like blood.  His, bright red, had only a hint of shadow.  Was it the lessons she’d gotten from Avernus, she wondered?  The potion she’d drunk the first time here, desperate for anything that would let her defeat an Archdemon?  Or, worst of all, just the fact she’d Joined during the Blight - did that speed up the Taint so much?

The old man held their hands, turned them in the light, sniffed the blood.  Nathaniel swallowed heavily.  “Yes, we’ll try his on the first ones.”

**

Avernus was fascinated by Slash and the others.  “Later, mage.  I told you of them, why I knew it was possible.”  He’d agreed not to use names - she trusted the Awakened, but only so far.  And the ‘connecting,’ she didn’t know what of their knowledge would get back to the Architect’s Awakened, to the Architect himself.  She focused Avernus’ attention toward the wriggling nightmares in the metal-barred wagon.  At the last moment, he’d had Nathaniel step out.  Too much Human blood in the room, he said.  She had refused, needed to be here.  The Awakened trusted her, not him.  But Alissa was glade Nathaniel was out, would not see this, would not be part of it.  This darkness, she didn’t want spread.  Much like her blood, her responsibilities -  _ she  _ took on the corruption, to keep others safe.  And this could go wrong.  Very wrong.  She knew the safeguards they’d put in, the carefully hidden cannistairs.  Her second in command may not want to detonate them, but Nathaniel would.  If it was necessary.  Avernus was right, you could always trust a Howe’s nature, and Nathaniel believed in duty.

The blood, already in the chalice.  The lyrium, the spells already cast.  Avernus hesitated, then handed it to Slash.  “I do not know if my presence would spark an attack.”  Slash took it carefully, his mangled fingers cradling the full bowl of the cup.  Alissa, watching, took a quarter-step toward the Fade, just enough to whisper to her companion, the lyrium she’d taken thrumming in her bones.  She needed to watch as well, needed to see the changes it made in then.

The mages leaned against their staffs as the Awakened took over.  Her eyes widened as Slash chanted in his low raspy voice.  “Join.  Joining in shadows, free of Calling.  Connecting, but free.  Free of darkness, free of hunger.  Join.”  The bastardized words of her own ritual, ones the Awakened must have chosen.  The rasping a rhythm, as the torches flickered - only enhancing the darkness surrounding the wagon and the Darkspawn in front of it.   _ Alistiar’s voice, the first time she’d heard it without that lilt of humor: ‘Join us, brothers and sisters.  Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant…’   _ A twisted ritual, by Tainted adversaries - but, as the Architect had said, it may be a way to break the cycle of the Blights.  And if she could understand well enough - Morrigan had promised to look for a way to fight the Taint directly.  The corruption slowly chilling her blood, the whispers in her mind...could any of them survive if she found a cure?  Did it matter?  This was a necessary step, no matter the cost.  Thank Andraste Alistair wasn’t here, couldn’t know what she was attempting.  Nest unlocked the wagon, pulled out the first.  The blood, into the gaping mouth.  A shriek spiralling higher, blackness bursting over the thing.  A spray of cold liquid as Nest slashed across its throat.  Again - and the same result.

Alissa clenched her jaws.  There were faster ways to kill Darkspawn, if that was all this would do.  “Stop.”  The two paused immediately.  “Slash, what is wrong?”  They’d followed the notes exactly.  Had the Architect lied to her again?  She needed answers.  And she needed Awakened that were not tied to the Architect.  They were useful, and they were...or could become...something more than the unfeeling monsters she was sworn to fight.  The Blight, the Taint...where was her duty?  Ending the Blight.  And if that meant working with Darkspawn, she would do it.  Grey Wardens took the Taint into themselves, this  was only an extension of that, she told herself.  Besides, they were not the nightmare creatures of corruption, rage and hunger she had killed by the score.  They were more, and less.

He cocked his head, looked at Nest.  Sniffed the cup, then met his Awakened brother’s eyes again.  “Blood...may be too pure?  Not enough Taint.”

Alissa stepped forward before Avernus could move.  Easy enough to open her hand again, whisper to Wonder and have her thick blood merged with the existing spell before Wonder sealed the wound again.  Three drops - she could see the difference in the chalice.  “Try again.”

“Join.”  The words, the chalice, the blood poured into the mouth.  The nightmares still in the wagon grew eager, focused, stopped writhing around each other.  An odd purr, streaks of red running down its sides.  It grew, rapidly expanding to larger than Nest, peeling out of the soft stickiness it had hidden within.  The Hurlock stood.

It looked around, still dripping with fluid.  A croak.  “Connecting.  Joining.”  It looked at her.  “You.”

“Mother.”  Nest’s voice was firm.

Tainted.  Darkspawn, but...not.  She could feel him in the back of her mind, a presence, but not.  Could Nathaniel?  “Welcome to shadows.”

It stepped from the darkness to stand near her as Avernus’ eyes glowed in excitement.  She held her hand, an unspoken command, before he could speak.

Seven more.  Then Nest took the chalice and Slash reached in for one of the last creatures.  A hesitation.  “Mother, be stepping back.”

She did, pulling Avernus with her until they were next to the stairs leading back up to the surface.

“Join.  Joining in shadows, free of Calling.  Connecting, but free.  Free of darkness, free of hunger.  Join.”  Nest’s raspy voice was different, almost uncertain.  The blood poured, and Alissa stiffened as she watched how quickly it grew.  The red streaks, flickering black - she reached out with Wonder instinctively.  They knew what it should look like now, forced the corruption under.  The black faded back to red, and the creature kept growing.  Nest and Slash moved away as it writhed.  Clawed fingers burst through, followed by horns as he stretched...

The ogre stood, yellow-black eyes catching the light.  Avernus gasped, but she had helped free him.  She looked up, and  _ up _ , no fear in her eyes.  Tainted, but more.  She could feel the difference, even more than the Awakened who she had comforted and healed at the Mother’s lair.  She stepped forward, turned his unresisting hand over, cut a line.  Black oozed out, but it beat warm, and had a tint to it.  It sealed as she watched his eyes. “Connecting.  Join us.”  The back of her mind wondered how she’d explain  _ this  _ to Alistair.

His voice rumbled, more felt than heard.  Heard in the back of her mind, along with his curiosity and muted hunger.  “Mother.”


	2. Chapter 2

He looked at her hopefully.  “You’re joking, right?”  When she didn’t answer, he looked at Nathaniel.  “She’s joking?  Please?  You didn’t really let her make a talking ogre, did you?”

“Does anyone ‘let’ Alissa do anything?”  Nathaniel’s voice was resigned.  “And it wasn’t  _ a  _ talking ogre, Alistair.  It was five Hurlocks, three Genlocks and…”

“And a talking ogre.”

“Alistair, I told you.  I managed to get some of the...Darkspawn larvae from a nest, because I’d gotten the Architect’s notes on how the Awakening worked.”  Her voice was tired and irritable.  This was the...fourth? time she’d tried to explain.  “Anora’s trying to keep people from volunteering - it’s why I’ve had to send you recruiting into the Marches and beyond.  We need more fighters against the Darkspawn, and the Awakened who have joined us were useful.” That was in addition to the fact she hated how many died in the Joining.  She’d almost decided against recruiting more Wardens at all, except they were necessary, if another Blight came.  “The Awakened can detect Darkspawn just like we can.  And track them, and kill them.”

Exasperation.  He hadn’t reacted to the Awakened so badly since he’d met them the first time.  “Alissa, they  _ are  _ Darkspawn.”

“But they’re loyal, and don’t kill people.  Often.”  Her lips tightened.  “And those were assassins, they just got over-protective.  They know to just watch and warn unless a Warden is actually being attacked, or it’s Darkspawn.”  She looked at the taller man.  “Nathaniel?”

He shook his dark head.  “They’re useful.  They follow directions.  They’re curious, like children, but they’re still Tainted.  I helped, but don’t look to me to change his mind.”

She sighed.  “Look, Alistair - just...go out on a patrol with them.  They’ve found another abandoned Thaig, maybe.  Something big.  I was going anyway, and Nathaniel can watch over things here.”

**

It was dark and rank - Barkspawn wasn’t happy.  Then again, Alistair wasn’t, either.  The Deep Roads were part of being a warden, but they were definitely on the ‘fine print’ side of things.  “How much further?”

One of the Genlocks turned, one who’d found itself a searingly bright shirt.  It looked like some sort of rotting canary monster.  “Another half day.  Is the same as last time.”  He looked forward, made a low sound as he dropped to his hands and knees, sniffing.  “Coming.”  He sounded again, and Alistair heard a chittering.

Alissa narrowed her eyes.  “That doesn’t sound like Darksp…” and the deepstalkers jumped up around them.  She blasted waves of cold from her staff.

Alistair pulled his sword, bashed one and spun just in time to see the ogre pick up a third and take a bite.  “Yuck.  Kill now, eat later.”  The ogre dropped it with a look Alistair could only describe as sheepish...and Barkspawn moved over toward it.  “Barkspawn!  Kill now!  Eat later!”  He sliced open the one who’d stood up and started spitting poison.

It didn’t take long for the deepstalkers to fall.  Alistair turned to the Genlock.  “Did you call them?”

“Too much grumping, there is.  Mother...Warden-Mother, says grumping means hunger.  Now, food you can be having.”

Alissa covered her mouth and shook her head when he glared at her, so he transfered it to the Genlock.  “You can call deepstalkers?”  Why would it ever learn something like that?

It nodded, and continued with its high-pitched gravel.  “Have travelled with Wardens before.   _ They  _ be thanking.”

“He’s got you there, Alistair.”  Her voice was choked.

“Why do you have to be right all the time?”  He muttered a few other things as the giggles finally broke through, though she tried to give him a severe look.  His grumpiness melted - how long had it been since he’d heard her giggle?  Arlessa and Warden-Commander had drained the lighthearted girl he’d once known.  “Thank you for calling a pack of scaled killing machines with teeth.  I’m sure they’ll taste lovely - see, Barkspawn’s already wagging his stump!”

The Genlock looked at him.  “Calling.  One who calls?”

“That would be ‘Caller.’”  Alissa patted its shoulder.  “And a good name.  Though, warning us Wardens first would be better next time.  We don’t hear the connecting as clearly.”

_ Thank Andraste and her disciples for that.   _ “So, now all I have to do is find some wood, and a pot.”  He’d made stews before, he could again.  And then, sleep.

The Awakened at least understood that their Wardens needed to rest.  Alissa and he pulled out a blanket and curled up.  He tucked her against his heart where she belonged, and they drifted off, Taint and Khaddis all around.   _ The things you get used to as a Warden. _

When he woke up, he fought briefly with the bright red braid that was strangling him, then sat up to check on everything.  Alissa, used to his battles with her hair, slept through it.  Her staff had kept its glowing wisp, enough to bathe everything in faint green light.  Caller - at least, a Genlock in the same bright yellow shirt - bared his teeth at Alistair.  Alistair returned the favor.  Some Human habits shouldn’t be copied.  He sat up, tucked the blanket back around Alissa.  Barkspawn?  He usually slept at their feet...if that ogre had eaten him…

The Mabari was by the ogre, but not eaten.  He was  _ asleep  _ on the giant hulk, curled where the Khaddis had pooled on its neck.  And, apparently, had licked the last of the deepstalker blood from the thing’s face.   _ I may never be able to pet him again. _  His eyes widened.  That’s...exactly what the ogre was doing, eyes half-closed.  Petting.  Barkspawn.  Who had...yes, started drooling down the ogre’s back.

The ogre met his eyes.  “Maybe be tasting good, or being a larger blanket.”

The voice rumbled through his bones, but it was the twitch of its lips that messed with his head.  Alistair sighed.  He could get mad, or accept that the ogre was...trying to tell a joke.  Maker.  But if Barkspawn was comfortable with the thing… “It’s just how he is.  If you feed him and smell right, he’ll cuddle and drool all day.”

A quiet voice, the sharpness tempered with humor for a welcome change, came from behind him.  “Like Mabari, like his human?”

“Raised by dogs, I told you years ago.”  She huffed at the memory, and he snuck a quick kiss.  “Though I drool less. Let’s get moving, if Cuddles over there is willing to wake up my dog.”


End file.
